Samsung Finally Showcases its Foldable Display Technology; Expected to Debut Early Next Year

After years of R&D and innumerable rumors and speculations, Samsung’s foldable smartphone which was also codenamed the Galaxy X or Galaxy F is finally here and was showcased at the company’s annual developer conference held in San Francisco today. While we do not entirely know about the smartphone yet, Samsung shed some light on the display tech which basically gives us a rough idea about the functionality of the phone.

Samsung claims to be using an Infinity flex display in the construction of the Super AMOLED curved panel used on the foldable smartphone which according to them required the use of a special type of foldable adhesive which would hold all the layers of the display intact despite folding and unfolding the device multiple times.

The way the mechanism works is that there is a primary display on the front like a regular smartphone which is quite regularly sized as per smartphone standards, but the magic happens when you unfold the book-like structure which reveals a huge 7.3-inch tablet-sized canvas. Technically, when folded, the device uses an entirely different display altogether while the flexible or foldable panel is reserved for when the smartphone is completely unfolded.

However, Samsung aims to provide a seamless experience by integrating a feature they’re calling app continuity which lets you take over from wherever you left off on either display. Having such a huge real estate also enables Samsung to provide multitasking for up to 3 apps simultaneously without having to close or switch between app windows, which they’re referring to as a multi-active window.

Also, Google announced earlier today that they will officially be supporting foldable smartphones with the native Android APIs in coming months and Samsung themselves will be providing developers with testing tools in order to make their apps compatible with these foldable displays. According to Samsung, smartphones with these foldable display will make their way into the mainstream market starting early next year.

Sumukh Rao Tech Writer A tech fanatic with a hunger for knowledge in the evergrowing field of science and technology. An avid quizzer and a gadget critic who reviews tech from the inside! Keen interest in modding Android devices, Recognized Contributor at XDA Developers.